ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Keuka College Men's Basketball team outscored Nazareth University 23-16 in the overtime period to defeat the Golden Flyers 96-89 in the Quarterfinals of the 2025-26 Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
With the win, the seventh-seeded Wolves advance to the semi-finals of the tournament, where they will play at #3 SUNY Geneseo on Wednesday night.
Lamar Lovelace continued his record-setting season for Keuka College (13-13, 9-7 Empire 8). He posted a game-high 32 points as Lovelace became the season scoring leading for the men's basketball program. He was backed by
Kaleb Nutifafa with 14 points and nine rebounds as well as
Akinlana Popoola with 13 points.
Noreon Williams provided a spark off the bench and
Makya Morrison also reached double figures with 10 points as he returned to the lineup after missing the past four games.
#7 Keuka College 96 at #2 Nazareth University 89 – Empire 8 Quarterfinals
Keuka set the tone immediately as
Lamar Lovelace opened the scoring on the first possession, finishing inside off a
Kaleb Nutifafa assist. The Wolves were active defensively from the start, generating steals and extra possessions, and even when Nazareth briefly grabbed the edge from the perimeter, Keuka answered through its interior presence. Nutifafa controlled the paint with multiple finishes and rebounds, while Lovelace sparked a key mid-half surge by turning a steal into a three-point play and following with another jumper to put the Wolves in front. As the half moved into the final stretch, Keuka's pressure intensified,
Noreon Williams provided a spark with a tip-in and later a three-pointer,
Akinlana Popoola knocked down a triple off a Lovelace assist, and
Malik Junious-Fuller converted in transition to extend the lead. The Green and Gold built an 11-point advantage as the Wolves scored nine unanswered down the stretch. Lovelace accounted for three baskets in the run, including one that broke the Keuka College single-season scoring record.
Malik Junious-Fuller dropped in a three as well as Keuka led 43-32. Nazareth closed the final 1:28 on an 8-0 run, including a three at the buzzer, but the Wolves led 43-40 at the half.
Keuka came out of the locker room with purpose, as
Lamar Lovelace cleaned up his own miss for a tip-in at 19:10 and
Makya Morrison followed with a fast-break dunk at 18:33 to stretch the lead to seven. Nazareth answered and eventually tied the game at 47-47, but the Wolves stayed composed.
Kaleb Nutifafa's putback at 16:43 kept Keuka in front, and
Ty LaBarge finished inside at 14:58 to maintain the edge. The Golden Flyers continued to push, briefly taking a 67-65 lead at 6:54, yet Lovelace responded with a tough jumper at 6:19 to even it. Down the stretch, the game turned into a possession-by-possession battle. Morrison scored inside at 4:42, Popoola gave Keuka a 73-72 lead with a clutch jumper at 1:05, and after Nazareth tied it at the line with 0:46 remaining,
Malik Junious-Fuller came up with a steal in the final seconds to preserve the tie and force overtime at 73-73.
After the two teams had empty trips to start the overtime period,
Lamar Lovelace knocked down a straightaway three to give the Wolves the advantage. On the defensive end,
Kaleb Nutifafa had a block for the Wolves. He then followed the play down the floor and got the rebound and putback for a layup to give the Wolves a 78-73 lead with 2:53 left in overtime. After Nazareth trimmed it to three, Junious-Fuller buried a three at 2:14 off a Lovelace assist to push the margin back to six. The Wolves then turned defense into offense as Junious-Fuller's steal at 1:11 led to a Morrison fast-break finish, and Nutifafa added another interior bucket at 0:59 to stretch the advantage to nine. From there, Keuka sealed it at the free-throw line, with Popoola, Lovelace, and Nutifafa calmly converting in the closing seconds to secure a hard-earned 96-89 Empire 8 victory.
KC Notes:
- The Wolves earned their first Empire 8 Tournament win in program history in their third visit. It was also Keuka's first postseason victory overall since 2015
- The Green and Gold got their first win over Nazareth in 20 years, snapping a 14-game losing streak to the Golden Flyers. 96 was the most points ever scored for the Wolves in the 36-game series
- Lovelace broke the record for points in a season previously held by Pedro Baez in the 1998-99 season. Lovelace now has 564 points on the season, besting Baez's record of 541
- Lovelace added 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. The senior also led the Wolves with five assists
- Saturday was the first time the Wolves played a game in overtime since a four-overtime affair with SUNY Poly in 2020. It was Keuka's first overtime victory since the 2018-19 season
Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves will now prepare for SUNY Geneseo, an opponent they have not seen in over two months. Keuka lost at Geneseo back in December in their first conference game. It was a one-possession game in the final minute before the Knights pulled away.
